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Murphy's Irish Stout | Murphy Brewery Ireland Limited

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Reviews by steelreign:

This is a favorable alternative to Guinness, in my opinion. The brew pours a nice, dark brown, complete with huge, thick, creamy head. The aroma was redolent of chocolate, roasted barley and some slight hops. A very smooth beer. Easily quaffable. Nice rounded taste, roasted grains, chocolate and hints of coffee like notes. Mouthfeel was above average, not as thin as Guinness, but not quite as hearty as Victory or others. Seek this one out if you like other comparable stouts - you will most likely enjoy this one.

More User Reviews:

Yeah, I've had plenty of craft beers....IPAs,,.....imperial stouts,...you name it....I try them. Many are great. But I believe both Guinness and Murphy's get a bad rating because they are very popular. Both are probably the best pour in beer, period. Great tasting. Very nice and smooth.

Sure they are not complex by any means. But they are both great beers. And this website should acknowledge that.

Poured from a pint nitro can into a shaker. A careful pour produces about an inch of creamy, velvety tan head. I can only see light through the beer by using my Mini-Maglite, and then only a distant red orb within a deep dark brown. The head reduces to about a half inch and sticks around for the duration.

Lots of mineral qualities in both the aroma and flavor, along with an underlying caramel-molasses and light, nutty, bittering hops. A certain perceived sweetness dissipates toward the finish, which is rather dry. Creamy mouthfeel yet with a light body overall.

A flavorful brew and very quaffable. I think it is definitely superior to the Guinness available in the U.S.

I decent dry Irish stout, and an underated one too. First brewed in 1856, it's breweries and water have been blessed by bishops too -- if that counts for anything.

In my opinion ... comparable to any other Irish stout that hides its flavour behind a creamy, milky, nitro-induced mask. They might not have the marketing muscle of Guinness, but still worth a try for what it is.

Living in Boston I have grown to loathe Guinness, Murphy&#8217;s is now my choice at many of the Irish pubs I may walk into. Murphy&#8217;s has a full flavor without too much bitterness, the creamy smoothness makes me want to quaff more than just a couple pints. It has the trade mark appearance of any other Irish stout but hands down it is the best as far as flavour.

T- Oh wow. The first taste is a solid punch of roasted malt. The creaminess quickly follows and then tapers out to the roasty coffee finish and a slightly bitter dark chocolate aftertaste. All flavours one should expect from a stout but the intensity and the way in which they are presented is just exceptional.

F- Insanely creamy medium body (thanks to the Nitro widget) and a low level of nitro bubbles. Perfect for a good Irish Stout.

O- I've always been a big fan of Guinness but have grown to find it a little light over the years. I'm happy to say that Murphy's has filled in the void for me and I now have a new go-to stout. Absolutely exceptional appearance, aroma, flavour, feel... everything is top notch.

Had this on-tap just for the hell of it. I've had it canned before, and my beer tastes have developed quite a bit since then, but still, this tastes almost exactly like Guinness draft.. I don't understand the high rating on here. It looks neat when poured due to the nitro, however, it still tastes like someone took a very mediocre stout and added a whole bunch of water. Well overpriced for what you get. I will not give this beer three strikes; two tries were enough for Murphy's.

A - This beer is pitch black in appearance so that the carbonation cannot be ascertained from looking at it. The head is very creamy, 1 finger in height, and dissipates to a thin lacing by the end of the tasting. Head is light tan in appearance. 4/5

S - Very dark malt permeates every bit of the aroma and is backed up by espresso, charred wood, cocoa powder, and an earthy hop profile. Not very sweet smelling, much more on the roasted side of things. 3.75/5

T - Dark chocolate, espresso, and roasted dark malt dominates the taste profile throughout the entire tasting. There is a slight sweetness as if from a cereal malt but this is not a caramel sweetness. More roasted than toasted or caramelized. There is a bit of grassy and earthy hops on the back end but the bitterness seems to come mainly from the malt itself. 4/5

M - Medium bodied stout that is dry throughout with a dry finish, although not as dry as many IPAs are. The dryness is a step below those. Very smooth but with a light carb burn and a lightness that is evocative of the style. 4/5

O - This is not a stout that is thick, creamy, and bursting with sweet flavors. This one is truly dry throughout in order to stand up to some heavy Irish/English fare. Great with fish and chips. Not overly bitter but definitely not a sweet stout either. 4/5

In the Glass: This beer poured thick, and with a TON of bubbles. Not overly carbonated, but just the way this style was pours. If you ever see a bar pour a Guinness, a similar style, they will take several minutes to properly pour the beer. I am not sure the saying… but I think it is supposed to take 90 seconds, or more to properly pour a Guinness. That is what this beer reminds me of. The head, by the time the beer settles, is thick and creamy. That is the best way to explain this beer. Creamy. The beer has a nice lace, too.

Nose: There isn't a lot of aroma here, but what I am getting is a hint of chocolate. I have to take a deep breath to get much. I am also blown away with the low ABV on this can. 4% isn't even enough to write home about. Of course, at 4% I could drink a gallon of this and not even know it! I hope the flavor is better than the aroma.

Flavor: This is better than Guinness… a little more flavor than Guinness. Sorry I keep comparing this beer to that, but that is what it reminds me of. I just took a bite of BBQ, and they were right… it IS a good pairing. I must say, I wouldn't order this in a bar. I WOULD order this when in Ireland, but I wouldn't order it here. Beers over there taste better, anyway.

Mouthfeel: Creamy. It looked creamy in the glass and has a very thick and creamy mouthfeel. I bet this beer would taste best room temperature in a room temperature glass. Typically I like beers with low carbonation, and while there are a lot of bubbles in the glass, the beer isn't very carbonated. I even swished the last drink around in my mouth, and nothing. Quite frankly, the flavor is boring. I will say I am not getting the metallic flavor that I expect from most Irish dry stouts.

Aftertaste: What aftertaste? I drink, there is a hint of flavor, and then it's gone again. There is literally no aftertaste here. I also like how they spell draft. On the can it says, "DRAUGHT STYLE". That is not how you spell draft! Oh well. I will give this beer credit for the style… but just not for me.

Strong coffee flavors--the head lightens the bitterness with a whipped butter consistency. The carbonation seems light, but not so much so as to detract. If I hold the sip for three or more seconds, I detect the hop. The aftertaste is a pleasant blend of cocoa-like malts and flowery hop.

My personal favorite from the big three in Ireland, although my memory of Murphy's on-tap is better.

The nitrogenation may give this a misleadingly high score, owing to what it imbues to the look, feel, and even odor.
The beer, however, is just fine. That being said, I find it far from the best example of the style, given the ubiquity of nitro stouts, these days. A strange sweetness runs amok in a beer too thin for its own good, with an excellent aftertaste of caramel, chocolate, and coffee.

Since most people are familiar with Guinness Dry Stout I'm going to do this review a little different and compare this dry draft stout with theirs. It pours a nice dark brown with a even tan head and a little lacing although more clear through the glass than Guinness. Smells like smooth malts. Tastes much like the aroma without the grittyness you get with Guinness, but that grittyness is what alot of people enjoy. It goes down smooth if you want a sipping beer. Typical malt aftertaste. Not the best but not bad either. You could do alot worst. Prost!

L: Looks... like a Guinness. Pours a deep inky black. Thick creamy dark brown head that lasts the entire pint.

S: Roasted malts. Sweet and tart.

T/F: Tasted... also like a Guinness. Dry with roasted malts. Nutty and a bit of a tartness from the roast. Slightly bitter hops at the finish. Very smooth and creamy... great carbonation. Just like they intended on nitro. Medium body.

O: Virtually indistinguishable from a Guinness... and I doubt I could tell them apart on a side to side pour/taste test (that being said... those are fighting words in parts of Ireland). That's not necessarily a bad thing. Very good fresh and on draft.

I won't say this is better or worse than bottled imperial or oatmeal stouts–its just a different style. At first I thought it was flat in comparison, but after a couple I slowly began to appreciate the silky smooth qualities that you won't find in most bottled stouts.

Look:

This beer is beautiful. The cascade effect and the stark contrast between the deep black body and the creamy tan head is gorgeous. If you're drinking this straight from the can you're really missing out. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful beer in a can or bottle.

Smell:

Smells nice, not pronounced much. Roasty and malty with a little sweetness and bitter expresso.

Taste:

Not quite as flavorful as an Old Rasputin per say, but its got a very enjoyable flavor profile. Sweet caramel at the beginning, a roasty coffee, and then a bitter, dry, chocolatey-expresso finish. Great balance of malts and hops.

A great example of the style. If you like the nitro effect of a stout on draft, you ought to try this. Murphy's makes a great dessert beer that can be slowly enjoyed anywhere anytime. Additionally, its smooth mouthfeel and lower level of carbonation means that 2 or 3 of these could go down easier than you'd think.

Faintly sweet on the nose reminiscent of the roasting of coffee. The taste and finish are both full bodied roasted barley malt with hints of caramel, coffee, toffee and bark. Murphy's drinks a wee bit dryer than Guinness and I enjoy that subtle difference.

I consider Murphy's Irish Stout to be as good as Guinness Draught, and it is one of my favorite session beers. The flavor is very similar to Guinness, but perhaps a tad less bitter and with a little less body.

The appearance is excellent: deep black with a "pancake batter" light tan head that leaves a coating down the glass. The aroma is very modest (dark malt). The taste is not extremely rich or thick, but is of dark malt; there is only a trace of hops. The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, though a bit thin. The drinkability is excellent, and I can drink this all night with no ill effects. I have tasted this side by side with Guinness at Irish pubs, and I can tell the difference, but I really do not have a strong preference for one over the other.

A 1 pint (16 fl. oz.) nitro-can, served straight from the fridge to a pint glass.

A: I am such a sucker for the 'nitro' effect: solid 1-finger head of undying head, colored like aged paper; I've watched this thing for 5 minutes without it moving 1 millimeter. Sits atop a perfectly ebony liquid that shows only glimpses of auburn and a few larger carbonation bubbles stuck oddly at the bottom of the glass. Any lace sticks in tiny, Braille-like bits...

S: Light aroma of dark chocolate and a bit of coffee. Not big, but certainly pleasant.

T: Flavor is a creeping blend of cocoa and mocha, sweetened with cream and a hint of vanilla. Light chalky bittering follows and lingers for minutes...

M: Light-bodied, almost like drinking a very watered down cup of coffee. Stealthy grainy textures build and the lasting feel is oh-so-creamy and smooth.

D: Perfectly sessionable, the type of ale one could sip pint after pint of at the pub. It's subtlety in an era where plenty of beers aim for big alcohol, huge flavors and 'extreme'-ness. Glad I picked this one off the 'St. Patrick's Day' display at New Seasons; will have to mix it into the beer line-up more often.

poured black with brown tinged around the edges with a tight nitro inch deep head after a few sip some nice bubbly lacing hangs around
smell is all deep burnt roasted malts a very dry smell as well
taste is a dry burnt malt very faint semi-sweet chocolate or maybe that's just the way I perceive both substances
mouthfeel is light and creamy feels somewhat watery as well
Drinkability well you can't really go wrong with any of the Big 3 of Ireland I prefer Beamish, Murphy's then Guinness